JAPN1011-20990-7520 - Course profiles - The University of Queensland

Course overview

    
                Study period
                Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
            
                Study level
                Undergraduate
            
                Location
                St Lucia
            
                Attendance mode
                In Person
            
                Units
                2
            
                Administrative campus
                St Lucia
            
                Coordinating unit
                Languages & Cultures School

JAPN1011 is a course for students beginning the study of Japanese. Students may take JAPN1011 only, or they may take JAPN1012 in the same semester. Students who have completed prior study of Japanese are not eligible to enrol in this course.
This course introduces students to the Japanese language and develops conversational skills for use in everyday situations such as social life and university life. Students also learn to read and write in Japanese using two phonetic syllabaries, hiragana and katakana. Students begin to gain cultural understanding through engaging with a foreign language, and develop effective language study strategies.

JAPN1011 is designed to introduce students to the Japanese language through learning the basic functions and associated grammar and vocabulary for use in everyday situations.ﾠIn particular, students will learn to exchange personal information, identify things and people, talk about places and the locations of things, express likes or dislikes, talk about daily, past and future activities, and many more language functions. Students will learn to read and write in Japanese using the two phonetic syllabaries, hiragana and katakana (46 syllables each), and then focus on developing speaking and listening skills. Students begin to gain cultural understanding through engaging with a foreign language, and develop effective language study strategies.

All classes will start from Week 1.

Course requirements

Assumed background

JAPN1011 assumes no prior knowledge of Japanese. Nobody who has completed Year 12 Japanese or nobody who has any equivalent or substantial prior experience of Japanese may enrol in this course. All students must complete a Japanese Language Questionnaire through our online Language Course Placement Advisor: https://courseplacements.languages-cultures.uq.edu.au/. Placement in the course is not confirmed until this is done.

Please also note that enrolment may be refused on the basis of such knowledge or abilities, and enrolment in a different course may be recommended. If a student enrols in a course for which they hold incompatible qualifications, they may be advised to cancel their enrolment, and continued enrolment may result in a forfeiture of credit for this course. Any misrepresentation in the placement process may be raised as a misconduct matter.

Recommended companion or co-requisite courses

We recommend completing the following courses at the same time:

JAPN1012

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

Year 12 Japanese or other competency in Japanese language, JAPN1010, JAPN1013.

Course staff

Course coordinator

Dr Penny Bailey

penny.bailey@uq.edu.au

Lecturer

Dr Penny Bailey

penny.bailey@uq.edu.au

Ms Asli Kaynar

a.kaynar@uq.edu.au

Ms Sonia Broad

sonia.broad@uq.edu.au

Miss Saffron Nyx

s.nyx@uq.edu.au

Ms Haruka Fukuda

h.fukuda@uq.edu.au

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Classes are not recorded. Students are strongly encouraged to attend Workshops and Tutorials in order to develop their skills in Japanese in the live environment.

Public holidays:

Alternative arrangements for affected students will be announced through the Blackboard site.

Class allocation:

In order to optimise the student experience, it may be necessary to reallocate students to a different class from their first choice. Before this happens, every effort will be made to enable students to voluntarily change into an alternative class that is suitable.

Please note: Teaching staff do not have access to the timetabling system to help with class allocation. Therefore, should you need help with your timetable and/or allocation of classes, please ensure you email hass.mytimetable@uq.edu.au from your UQ student email account with the following details:

Full name,
Student ID, and
the Course Code

Additional information and support can be found here.

Aims and outcomes

JAPN1011 aims to develop communicative competence in spoken and written form at a practical level in Japanese, to introduce fundamental grammatical structures of Japanese, to raise awareness and understanding of the nature of Japanese and cultural aspects through studying its linguistic systems, and to acquire language learning strategies which will help the students take charge of their own learning and communication.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

LO1.

read hiragana and katakana, the two phonetic scripts in Japanese;

LO2.

understand the Japanese text written in a combination of hiragana and katakana within the range of topics and functions studied;

LO3.

communicate in spoken form in standard Japanese using patterns and vocabulary of themes specified in the course content;

LO4.

understand the social and cultural aspects of Japanese society reflected in the language;

LO5.

continue to study the language independently using and expanding the basic knowledge studied in the course;

LO6.

be able to understand spoken Japanese covered during the semester;

Course overview

Assessment

Assessment summary

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

Course Placement Questionnaire

Hurdle
Online

Mode: Oral, Written
Category: Participation/ Student contribution
Due date: 28/02/2025 5:00 pm

Task description

All students are required to demonstrate that they have been correctly placed in JAPN1011. Failure to do so will result in a maximum grade of 3 for the course. This is a hurdle requirement. No assessment items will be marked until this is completed. The link for the placement questionnaire is here: https://languages-cultures.uq.edu.au/study/whats-my-language-level

Students who have completed JAPN1011 and no further study are not required to take the questionnaire again.

Some students may be required to complete further placement processes to pass this hurdle assessment, such as a face-to-face interview during class.

This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Hurdle requirements

Placement in this course via this placement questionnaire and face-to-face ID check is a hurdle requirement. No assessment items will be marked until this is completed. Failure to complete this task will result in a maximum grade of 3 for the course.

Submission guidelines

https://languages-cultures.uq.edu.au/study/whats-my-language-level

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

Students who are not able to meet the due date due to late enrolment must contact the Course Coordinator as soon as possible to ensure they comply with this requirement.

Course Participation

Hurdle
In-person
Online

Mode

Oral, Written

Category

Participation/ Student contribution, Practical/ Demonstration

Weight

16%

Due date

26/02/2025 5:00 pm

5/03/2025 5:00 pm

12/03/2025 5:00 pm

19/03/2025 5:00 pm

26/03/2025 5:00 pm

2/04/2025 5:00 pm

9/04/2025 5:00 pm

16/04/2025 5:00 pm

30/04/2025 5:00 pm

14/05/2025 5:00 pm

21/05/2025 5:00 pm

28/05/2025 5:00 pm

There are 23 tasks in all: i.e. one task component for each class session. The tasks are due in hard copy at the end of each class session. Students who are absent from class must submit by 5pm on Wednesdays via a Blackboard submission link; these are the due dates listed here. In Week 6, there is only one task (for the Tutorial session), as the Writing Exam is held in the Workshop session. There are no tasks due in Week 10 due to the Public Holiday and Oral Presentation 1 scheduling.

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L04, L05

Task description

Course Participation assesses students’ overall contribution to each class session (0.6 marks) as well as their completion and submission of a specified task in written or oral format (0.2 marks).

There are 23 class sessions in total. The best 20 marks will be counted towards your final participation mark. 0.8 x 20 = 16 possible marks (16%). However, please note the hurdle requirement in the section below.

Course Participation is marked according to the following marking criteria (0.8 marks total per class session):

Class Contribution (0.6 marks)

0.6 mark = Actively contributes to class activities for the entire session, uses language taught in class, engages respectfully with others.
0.3 marks = Contributes to class activities for most of the session, makes some attempts to use language taught in class, engages acceptably with others.
0 marks = Makes little to no contribution.

Task submission (written/oral) (0.2 marks)

0.2 marks = Complete response, acceptably accurate use of the language [and script] introduced in class.
0 marks = No submission / Incomplete or largely incorrect response.

This task component is provided on the PowerPoint during class, and it is due for submission at the end of class or for students who are absent from class via a Blackboard submission link by 5pm on Wednesdays. All tasks must be handwritten (with a stylus or a pen/pencil).

Likewise, students are not permitted to receive help from any other person to complete this task.

Hurdle requirements

Students must achieve 8 marks or more (ie. at least half of the full 16% weighting) on the Course Participation assessment in order to pass the course.

Submission guidelines

Blackboard

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

No extensions are allowed for this assessment task as it has been designed to encourage regular engagement with the course content and to support the sequential nature of learning and feedback in this course.

Late submission

Students may submit the task via Blackboard by 5pm on Wednesdays.

Writing Exam - WEEK 6

Hurdle
Identity Verified
In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

20%

Due date

31/03/2025

The Writing Exam is held during Workshop sessions, in the usual classroom, in Week 6. The Workshop session the student is enrolled in is considered to be the the due date and time for this assessment.

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L04, L05

Task description

The Writing Exam will be held in Week 6, on Monday 31 March.

The Writing Exam covers required content from Modules A to H, including knowledge of all hiragana and katakana. (Modules I & J are revision before the exam). Students will be required to write sentences in hiragana and katakana, demonstrating their grasp of the vocabulary and grammar taught in class. Kanji is not tested: only hiragana, katakana, and roomaji, or English answers will be accepted in accordance with the requirements of each task on the assessment. Handwriting will be marked with reference to the Genki textbook guidelines (see handwriting styles in the "Reading and Writing" section).

A practice assessment will be provided during class.

***

Likewise, students are not permitted to receive help from any other person to complete this task.

Also, a reminder that the Writing Exam is a hurdle requirement for the course. Students who fail to submit the assessment cannot receive a grade of higher than 3 for the course.

Students with exam adjustments in place should contact the Course Coordinator directly and apply through Unitask to activate them for this assessment at least two weeks before the exam.

Hurdle requirements

The Writing Exam is a hurdle requirement for the course. Students who fail to submit assessable content cannot receive a grade of higher than 3 for the course.

Exam details

Planning time	no planning time minutes
Duration	45 minutes
Calculator options	No calculators permitted
Open/closed book	Closed Book examination - no written materials permitted
Exam platform	Paper based
Invigilation	Invigilated in person

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Oral Presentation 1 - WEEK 10

Hurdle
Identity Verified
In-person

Mode

Oral

Category

Presentation

Weight

28%

Due date

6/05/2025 - 7/05/2025

Learning outcomes

L03, L04, L05

Task description

Oral Presentation 1 is held in Week 10, on Tuesday 6 May and Wednesday 7 May. Students will sign up for a 1-hour session. The assigned timeslot will be considered the due date and time for this assessment. No classes are held in Week 10.

This is a live presentation, held in person. You will be presenting to a small group of peers from the course; please support each other by being engaged and courteous audience members.

Students will prepare and present a 2-3 minute self-introduction in Japanese.

It should include name, hometown, nationality, occupation, age, and name of university, what year, and major. It should also include a selection of the course content covered in Modules A-Q which is suitable for use in a natural-sounding introduction. The self-introduction should not be read from a script—it should be memorised and presented at a natural speed, in a way that conveys the meaning of the content (ie not a monotone or "recited" style of delivery).

Students should familiarise themselves with the marking rubric before starting, so that they know what they are being assessed on

***

Likewise, students are not permitted to receive help from any other person to complete this task.

Also, a reminder that Oral Presentation 1 is a hurdle requirement for the course. Students who fail to submit assessable content cannot receive a grade of higher than 3 for the course.

Students with exam adjustments in place should contact the Course Coordinator directly and apply through Unitask to activate them for this assessment.

Hurdle requirements

Oral Presentation 1 is a hurdle requirement for the course. Students who fail to give a presentation cannot receive a grade of higher than 3 for the course.

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Oral Presentation 2 - EXAM BLOCK

Hurdle
Identity Verified
In-person

Mode

Oral

Category

Presentation

Weight

36%

Due date

9/06/2025 - 10/06/2025

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06

Task description

Oral Presentation 2 is held in Week 1 of the exam period. This assessment is completed in person, in pairs. Students will sign up for a 20-minute time slot with their partner.

There are three sections to Oral Presentation 2. Students present in pairs, but complete the final two sections individually. ALL sections are marked individually. The focus is on demonstrating a grasp of the content covered in class; other vocabulary or grammar, even if it is more advanced, will not be awarded higher marks. See the marking criteria in the Assessment section of Blackboard.

Section 1: Dialogue - in pairs (marked individually)

Present a 2-3 minute dialogue in a pair with a classmate (this can be any student enrolled in the course this semester). The scenario is you are two friends going out to eat a meal together, or shopping together, or a combination of both.

Each student must include in their own side of the dialogue:

At least one “word that points” (see TB58)
Describing the location of something or someone: e.g., XはYのまえです
あります and/or います
A description using an adjective
Asking or telling the time
All of the following particles: は (topic)・も (also)・sentence-final ね・sentence-finalよ・object を・action in a placeで・directional particleに or へ
Asking what something is
Saying what something is not: Noun + じゃないです
A present tense verb
A past tense verb
A frequency sentence
Inviting someone to do something ませんか

This should be a dialogue, where you ask each other questions and respond to the answers. It should not be a speech. No notes are permitted (see the “Delivery and Fluency” section of the criteria sheet); the dialogue must be memorised and spoken in a natural way. Props are fine but are not awarded any extra marks.

The students must prepare this dialogue themselves, without help from any other person.

Section 2: Q & A - Individual

Students will be asked questions that follow up on the details included in the dialogue, and questions about themselves, covering content studied in class.

This part of the assessment task is to be completed in-person.

Section 3: Reading aloud - Individual

After the dialogue and Q&A section, each student will be provided with a paragraph written in hiragana, katakana, and numerals, using vocabulary and grammar from the course.

They will be asked to read the paragraph aloud in a way that shows they understand the meaning. See criteria sheet for ways to convey meaning.

This part of the assessment task is to be completed in-person.

***

Likewise, students are not permitted to receive help from any other person to complete this task.

Students with exam adjustments in place should contact the Course Coordinator directly and apply through Unitask to activate them for this assessment.

Hurdle requirements

Oral Presentation 2 is a hurdle requirement for the course. Students who fail to present assessable content cannot receive a grade of higher than 3 for the course.

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Grade	Cut off Percent	Description
1 (Low Fail)	0 - 24	Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student does not use communication strategies and barely attempts to communicate at all. The student is unable to use most basic script or form sentences in written and spoken Japanese.
2 (Fail)	25 - 44	Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student does not use communication strategies and demonstrates little or no understanding of written or spoken Japanese. Pronunciation is frequently incomprehensible and speech is characterised by frequent one-word utterances. Written Japanese is extremely limited in range of structures and vocabulary, with frequent errors in form and use of scripts.
3 (Marginal Fail)	45 - 49	Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: The student hardly uses communication strategies and demonstrates a limited understanding of spoken and written Japanese. Pronunciation is frequently incomprehensible. The student speaks haltingly, relying heavily on memorisation. There are frequent errors in both speech and writing; and in both the form and use of scripts.
4 (Pass)	50 - 64	Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student does not use communication strategies effectively. Comprehension of written and spoken Japanese is generally good but details may be missed or misunderstood. The student’s pronunciation is generally comprehensible but some lapses occur. The student tends to use formulaic expressions rather than original utterances, and uses a narrow range of vocabulary. The student usually uses characters accurately, however, errors occasionally affect the intended meaning.
5 (Credit)	65 - 74	Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student occasionally uses effective communication strategies and understands most written and spoken Japanese when vocabulary and structures which are introduced in the course are used. The student’s pronunciation is generally comprehensible but some lapses occur. Fluency is subject to fluctuation. The student attempts to use a range of characters, vocabulary and structures, with occasional attempts at creativity. While errors occur, they do not on the whole affect the intended meaning.
6 (Distinction)	75 - 84	Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student occasionally uses effective communication strategies and understands written and spoken Japanese well when vocabulary and structures which are introduced in the course are used. The student uses comprehensible pronunciation and generally responds fluently and appropriately. In speech and writing, the student uses a range of vocabulary and structures although accuracy of use fluctuates. Creative use of language may often be attempted. The student uses characters introduced with a high degree of accuracy.
7 (High Distinction)	85 - 100	Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student effectively uses communication strategies and is always able to understand both written and spoken Japanese when vocabulary and structures which are introduced in the course are used. The student uses consistently comprehensible pronunciation and responds fluently, appropriately and confidently. In speech and writing the student uses a wide range of vocabulary and structures with accuracy; and attempts to use language creatively. The student uses characters introduced in the course accurately

Additional course grading information

Marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the ‘Assessment’ folder in Blackboard for this course.

Please note that in order to pass the course, students must complete the placement requirements, achieve at least 8% on the Course Participation assessment (half the possible 16%), and sit the hurdle requirement assessments: Oral Presentation 1, Writing Exam, and Oral Presentation 2. Students who fail to meet these requirements will not be eligible for a grade above 3.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Additional assessment information

In order to pass the course, students must complete the online placement questionnaire, and sit the hurdle requirement assessments: Course Participation, Writing Exam, Oral Presentation 1, and Oral Presentation 2. Students who fail to submit one or more of these assessments will not be eligible for a grade above 3.

Aims and outcomes

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

ﾠ

Assessment

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

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Workshop

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Learning period	Activity type	Topic
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 13 (24 Feb - 01 Jun)	Workshop	Workshops and Tutorials Workshops and Tutorials are taught in the same format. These are in-person, interactive sessions. The focus is on reading and writing hiragana and katakana, listening and speaking skills, and activities in the Genki textbook and workbook. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06

Learning resources

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

Learning activities

Foundational Japanese 1 (JAPN1011)

Course overview

Course requirements

Assumed background

Recommended companion or co-requisite courses

Incompatible

Course staff

Course coordinator

Lecturer

Timetable

Additional timetable information

Aims and outcomes

Learning outcomes

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Course Placement Questionnaire

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

Course Participation

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

Late submission

Writing Exam - WEEK 6

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

Oral Presentation 1 - WEEK 10

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

Oral Presentation 2 - EXAM BLOCK

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

Course grading

Additional course grading information

Supplementary assessment

Additional assessment information

Learning resources

Library resources

Additional learning resources information

Learning activities

Policies and procedures